Transmission slipping can happen with both automatic and manual vehicles. Your transmission slips as it moves from gear to gear, and this can happen when you do not have enough fluid.
Although both automatic and manual transmission systems wear down over time, it is always possible that your transmission is indeed worn out.
With transmission slipping, typically, you would start to feel that your gears are changing for no apparent reason.
You may hear a whining noise or pitch from your engine whenever this occurs. As well, you may feel like you do not have enough power to drive at your desired speed.
What is transmission slipping?
Transmission gears can wear out, deteriorate, and start slipping. Over time, gears can degrade, especially if they have been running hot and inefficiently due to low or exhausted fluid in your transmission.
Slipping gears are typically due to wear because they are not properly engaging and, in turn, are slipping in and out of phase.
You will know your vehicle has a transmission slip when you can hear the engine spinning on a shift. Just for a second, it can feel like driving on ice, and to the average user, this may seem minor or even trivial.
But without correct maintenance, the issue will worsen, and you will develop some serious transmission problems.
What Are Other Symptoms of Transmission Slipping?
The slipping transmission symptoms could indicate other problems as well that are not related. Your transmission might not even be slipping; it can present problems in different areas. There are multiple ways in which your transmission can wear out, the best way is to have a mechanic take a look at your car.
Signs Your Transmission is Slipping:
- Delay when accelerating
- Burn smells or anything unusual
- High RPMs over 3500
- Gear shifting problems
- Harsh response, anytime you can shift gears
- The check engine light stays on
- Noise starts from the transmission
None of these are good, you want to take your vehicle for a check immediately before it becomes a bigger problem.
Reasons Why a Transmission is Slipping
If you now know what transmission slipping feels like, you might be wondering what causes a transmission to slip. There could be many reasons:
- Transmission Fluid: If the car doesn’t have enough transmission fluid, then it’s going to feel sluggish as you are driving down the Fayetteville highways and roads. Verify the transmission fluid levels first to see if that can be something simple to eliminate.
- Defective Solenoids: Sometimes, you may have enough transmission fluid, but the car simply has no way to utilize it. There are one or more transmission solenoids, which are electromagnetic, that dictate the flow of transmission fluid based on a signal from the computer. If this part fails, the car will not be able to receive the necessary fluids.
- Damaged Bands: Damaged or faulty bands can also make it impossible for the transmission fluid to flow through the vehicle appropriately. If the fluids can’t rise up through the bands, the bands need to be replaced, so your transmission can work as expected.
- Clutch Problems: Of course, if you have a manual transmission, the vehicle may have transmission troubles caused by clutch issues. But if you have an automatic transmission, then you can rule this one out.
- Worn Gears: Even the best-kept rest workhorses will inevitably experience wear on the gears over time. A mechanic will need to take a look and verify that everything in the engine is OK with their inspection.
- Problems with the Torque Converter: Torque converters can sometimes cause your transmission to slip, and you might also notice a whole list of other problems as a result, as well – burning, smoking, gears jumping and slipping out of gear, failing to go into gear, or full-blown catastrophic failure.
How to Fix Transmission Slipping?
The solution to this problem ultimately depends on what exactly the problem is. It could be so easy to add more transmission fluid when your car is running low. However, if the current fluid is badly burned, the transmission likely has internal damage that needs to be checked.
Parts such as the clutch or other gears may need to be replaced. A possible solution to this problem could be simply installing a completely new transmission system. This is the most expensive option, but it may be the only way to get your car back in service.
Get your car checked as soon as you see any problems to reduce the chances of a full replacement.